Tonight, my son Vincent posted this video on Facebook… with the following message (translated from French):

“Back in the days, my mom had music blasting all through the house, at all times… mostly Springsteen. I believe that it’s thanks to her if I have this great love for music. This one’s for you, Mom… luv you xxx”

I am grateful for going to the Festi Jazz, last night, because I tend to back down at the last minute — especially now that I live in the mountains where everything seems so far away and I don’t have a car — and of course the dark clouds were starting to roll in by the time I left at 7 pm, and I’m so damn tired of having to be so damn GRATEFUL every day and also having to write about it in ways that will entertain you and that’s about it for GRATITUDE #1.

NOTE TO SELF: Breathe. Grateful should be easy, not exhausting. Stop complaining about not having a car, you don’t even drive.

I am grateful for arriving at the Festi Jazz as the sun was setting and before the rain started to rain because I was able to walk around umbrella-less while I listened to Julie Lamontagne‘s delightful piano concert and gazed at the *happening* in the sky — dark, heavy, metallic grey clouds devouring white, blue, pink fluffy ones. O cruel world.

I am grateful to have found a chair and a place to put it under a tent because 30 minutes before Kim Richardson‘s tribute to Billie Holiday, the rain came down. (It was amazing how FAST the festival staff put up the tents and got everything ready — BRAVO!)

I am grateful for the Sony Camera my darling friend Charlotte gave me for my birthday back in 2005 because I am flabbergasted by how good the sound is in the video I shot of Kim singing Body and Soul.

Sorry that the first few seconds of the song are missing but rain was dripping from the tent’s top onto my knees and I had to hold the umbrella between my thighs while I was shooting so no Oscar for me, I guess. Oh… and it wasn’t long before the rain stopped = magic!

I LOVE YOU, CHARLOTTE!

I am grateful that I wasn’t attacked by a bear or a pékan¹ on the way home because it was 10:47 pm when I left the concert and walking past certain dark wooded areas was a bit creepy. Even sprinting up my street was scary; halfway up, there aren’t any more street lights and that’s when the imagination kicks in. Good news is, I think I broke my personal record: 2,3 km (about a mile and a half) in 25 minutes. If I hadn’t slowed down going up the hill — remember, I’m still working on getting my health back — I would have made it in less than 20 minutes for sure.

THANK YOU, UNIVERSE!

(1) I will tell you all about the big pékan threat on November 30. Mark that down on your calendars.